Director Darren Aronofsky has been keen to get the 'Gladiator' star on board for the project, which will be his first since psychological ballet drama 'Black Swan' and Russell is actively taking part in talks about the role, according to Variety.

The picture - based on the epic biblical tale of a man who is told by God the world will be flooded and he must save a pair of every animal by building a huge ark - will begin filming in July with producers keen to get Russell on board as soon as possible.

The film is set to feature a twist on the original story however, with Noah as a man who loves all of Earth's creatures and the planet itself, yet despairs at the way humanity has treated it all.

The Australian actor has previously hinted at his interest in the movie. In response to an article saying Darren was eyeing him for the role, Russell tweeted: ''And I'm eyeing him right back...whole lot of eyeing.''

While Russell would play Noah, the only other known character is a villain who argues against the protagonist, telling him not to build the boat.

Paramount and New Regency are behind the $130 million project, which Aronofsky and his Protozoa Pictures partner Scott Franklin are producing with Mary Parent. The director wrote The Script with Ari Handel while John Logan has done a re-write.